Clevo P775DM3-G: LCD cable replacement instructions?

Clevo P775DM3-G with the 4k LCD screen (PC Specialist 17.3" Octane III)

I think I have a fractured LCD cable, and need to replace it. The screen has been progressively more erratic (freezing, fading) depending on angle of opening the lid, and is now virtually unusable.

Can anyone help with instructions detailing exactly what I need to dismantle to gain access for replacing the cable? I couldn't find anything on this forum, I find the manual's assembly drawing too daunting and have failed to find a YouTube video

Cable part number & service manual details, in case useful to someone else with the same problem:
I ordered and received what I hope is a suitable 40-way replacement cable 6-43-P7751-020-1L: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-CLEV...EEN-CABLE-6-43-P7751-020-1L-Cdja/274400916635

Only later did I find the P775DM3-G service manual* which lists the LCD cable with a slightly different suffix, -020 -N vs -020 -1L, (manual p54 Fig A-4 LCD (AU) Assembly drawing, item 23)

* https://premamod.wordpress.com/ Maintenance > Service Manuals > P7 Series > P7xxDM3(G)
(Thanks to Dr. AMK for posting about this awesome Prema Mod resource)

 

This is a complex procedure, I would not recommend DIY if you're not well versed in laptop disassembly. I also believe you want the 30-pin job, but official support can chime in with correct part numbers.

You'll have to take the laptop down to the motherboard, and separate the motherboard from the top housing, which is 20+ screws. You'll then disassemble the LCD housing, pop out the LCD, and carefully peel back the tape holding the LVDS connector in and swap it out from there, and then reverse the whole procedure.

I'd strongly recommend bringing this to a mom + pop repair shop, I would NOT trust this to corporate / retail tech support.

 

The disassembly of the laptop is not a difficult procedure, it's more at being careful and not force anything out. You have the service manual with the procedure to follow to disassemble the whole machine. Just follow it. It's not rocket science, not even close. I've disassembled loads of Clevo's in 3 years apart from my model and the only thing I needed was to follow the service manual.

View what LCD you have because there are 30 pin, 40 pin and 50 pin cables for various LCD'S. view the correct model so you can receive help.

 

Many thanks for the advice guys. If our local repair shop was open I'd be tempted to take the laptop down there. Unfortunately they're closed during lockdown, so my options are to send it back to PC Specialist or fix it myself.

I originally checked the required cable very carefully, but I'll double-check. From memory, the 30-pin cable was for the 1080p screen and the 40-pin for the 4k screen.

 

Please install hwinfo and post here which monitor you have. I got a 1080p 40 pin LCD from AUO B173HAN03.1 which has g-sync and 144hz.
Please see which one do you have so we can advice you the correct cable. Pc specialist are good professionals and a reliable store. They are the main seller and armazenist for Clevo's in Europe and you have XMG too as another option.

 

OK, thanks. I'll do that tomorrow. I need to go to bed now - I've spent most of today chasing and collating info, ordering an anti-static mat, sourcing the specified screwdrivers etc and now my head hurts!

 

Edited from HWiNFO64 Version 6.42-4360 log
AU Optronics B173ZAN01.0
Monitor Hardware ID: Monitor\AUO109B
Digital Video Interface Standard Supported: DisplayPort.

I'd very much appreciate your expert overview, but believe this confirms my choice of the 40-pin cable.
If I follow a video on how to replace the screen, will it show me all I need to access both ends of the LCD cable?

 

https://www.panelook.com/modelcompare.php?ids=25358 << this is the panel you listed as currently installed.

40 pins / 0.5 pin pitch

As to replacement..... remove the current panel and follow the cable to the MOBO which will require removing the screws from both hinges to have clearance to pull the old cable out and pull the new cable through the same path. It's a balancing act with the main chassis and the lid when you have the hinges unscrewed but, if you take your time it's fairly simple to do w/o damaging anything in the process. Just reassemble in reverse.

After you have the new cable connected to the MOBO and before you put everything back together fire things up with the new panel resting on the lid to make sure it's working and you don't end up having to pull everything apart again to troubleshoot a loose connection or a bad panel.

If you prep everything you can get it done and reassembled in about 15-30 minutes.

 

Many thanks to all. I now feel confident to tackle the job

 

Take a before/after photo to compare your results

 

Thanks! Good idea. I keep forgetting to take"before" photos.

 

Take lots of photos if unfamiliar with the process and then you have your own tear down guide.

 

This is a great advice. I forgot to take'em and the first time it was a bit hard but doable

 

Thanks guys! I'll take lots of photos.

 

Thanks again to everyone for their assistance. Laptop now re-assembled and working with the new cable. Unfortunately the intermittent LCD problem is still there . I want to replace the LCD, and will post separately about the apparent problem sourcing a 4k panel.

I have managed to localise the intermittent behavior to a connection within the LCD panel. I guess the stresses on the panel changed as the laptop lid was moved, deluding me into thinking the LCD cable was responsible. At least I'm now familiar with stripping down the laptop .

Peeling back the "Don't touch" black plastic film at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen exposed a PCB where I found a flexible cable from the screen glass to the PCB. Pressing on this restores the picture temporarily. I'm going to try to rig up some semi-permanent means of applying pressure evenly, but for reliability I really want to replace the screen panel.

 

Maybe some foam padding to keep pressure on the cable until you source a replacement.

As for the 4K option it's a bit of a PITA sometimes depending on which model you opt for or additional features desired.

 

Thanks. I plan to try the foam.
Having failed to find ANY 4k panels at reasonable price from UK suppliers with reasonable reputation, it certainly is a PITA.

The original panel had a very wide colour gamut, valuable to me for photo editing. It would be a pity to sacrifice this. I need the 4k when I'm editing large VJ projects. Wide viewing angle is useful. I can do without G-sync and don't care about response time.

Any suggestions for sourcing/alternatives? It puzzles me that 4k laptops are available, but not replacement screens.

I haven't found any UK stock of this (or any 4k) panel at any sensible price from any supplier with good feedback. It generally appears to be out of stock, with no alternative available.
eg:
https://www.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/shop/CLEVO-P775DM3-G-17.3-UHD-LAPTOP-SCREEN__212521.asp

https://www.laptopscreen.co.uk/B173ZAN01.0-screen-part-number.htm

Perhaps from France, when back in stock, but probable problems with importing to the UK now since Brexit.
https://www.pro-lcds.com/en/au-optronics/1290538-672500-b173zan010.html#/4-finition-matte

ebay has some at rip-off prices, and not from suppliers with 100% reputation.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=B173ZAN01.0&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1


Perhaps helpful to others if continued in my new thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/clevo-p775dm3-g-sourcing-replacement-4k-lcd.835458/

 

I used kreplacement.com when I did mine as I had attempted to find a particular screen from several different sellers and either they didn't have it or wanted to substitute significantly different models in their place. They're located in China so, they have a reasonable amount of stock of different solutions and cables if needed. Make a list of a couple models you're interested in and shoot them an e-mail to see what they have in stock. All together the cable I needed and panel w/ shipping came out around $150 for 4K on a model that never came with 4K.

 

Many thanks - I'll check them out.

 

NP

I went with them for a simpler shipping solution since I needed 2 items to complete the swap and didn't want a 2-4 weeks shipping stagger on getting the items in hand. I was kind of indecisive on which direction I was going in from a FHD/60hz panel to whether To keep the same 30 pin cabling and avoid rerouting the cable with a new one for a 40 pin panel and then figured if I'm gong down this road I might as well look into 4K as I had a 4K previously and it was nice to have the real estate to work with. Overall I think I spec'd our at least 50 different options and narrowed them down to 10-15 in a spreadsheet before deciding on a select few. Then hunting them down became an issue all in itself dealing with all the vendors substituting different models instead of the exact model you order. I just happened to stumble upon KR through a google search and landed on a page with their e-mail listed on it and sent them an e-mail. It took a couple of days to hammer out which panel they had in stock from the short list I had narrowed down and then seeing if they had the cable or not.

I've been running the panel now for a good 6 months now and it's been a great upgrade compared to the original panel that had a layer offset at 45 degrees in polarization causing eye strain.

 

Ah, very interesting. Thanks for the insight.

I don't have a shortlist of panels as I'm not sure which would be compatible. As the model I want is on their list, I'll ask them for that or a suggested alternative if it's not available.

 

Thanks again for this - kreplacement.com service was awesome: Very quick response to my query, in perfect English. They had the exact panel in stock, easy PayPal payment, and emailed when the screen was dispatched. Tracking was perfect thoughout and the screen arrived this morning - 8 days after my order (no extra charges). All installed and working perfectly now. I was amazed at the rigidity and protection offered by the packaging - it took twice as long to extract the screen from the packaging as it took to install it!

 

That was my experience as well with the packaging. I struggled with the response time a little bit but got the exact item through confirmation before shipping even though it wasn't the original panel I had been scoping out. With the back and forth e-mails with them I got them to expedite it via FedEx at no extra charge and had it in hand within a couple of days after everything had been settled on the model.